3 ms·

I am surprised by the statement "Today, salmon sushi is a staple of Japanese cuisine" While in Japan a few years ago, I found no salmon on the menu in sushi pl

I am surprised by the statement "Today, salmon sushi is a staple of Japanese cuisine" While in Japan a few years ago, I found no salmon on the menu in sushi places. When inquiring why, we were told that salmon is not that good, and that is more a food for kids than adults. Did it change or are we just one data point?

tecleandor 2mo ago
I'm trying to recall right now, and maybe the only places where I didn't find salmon in any of my visits was in the more expensive/ fine dinning places (think ¥8000+ places). All the common kaiten sushi places, or chains like SushiZanmai have all kinds of salmon pieces. Different levels of fat, broiled, rolls... Is it maybe a bit more like "comfort food", for kids, for less delicate palates, cheaper? Maybe. But truth is I haven't asked why I haven't seen it in the expensive places.
dfxm12 2mo ago
It's hard to say, depending on how far back your idea of "a few years ago" might be or where exactly you ate. After all, Japan has a lot of sushi restaurants and even different sushi styles. For example, you definitely wouldn't find salmon in an edomae sushi restaurant. For reference, salmon was the most popular choice in conveyor belt sushi places 3 years ago. https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h01627/ https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h01627/
- tecleandor 2mo ago
  Ah, interesting stats, specially the second part when they say what type of sushi they refrain from eating. I guess that ōtoro and chūtoro is due to price. And uni... Maybe because of the flavor? It can be a bit of an acquired taste...
  - ramchip 2mo ago
    I think most people like uni, but it's also one of the most expensive sushi you can get at kaitenzushi
oblio 2mo ago
I remember asking a Japanese chef in Japan, in 2019, and the answer I got was that sushi is much less popular in Japan than believed outside of Japan, and a lot more people eat rice and chicken, pork, etc., than salmon.
- expedition32 2mo ago
  For thousands of years all Japanese people had was fish and rice. When countries become wealthy and open up to trade the population wants to eat exotic stuff. What Japan eats today would be nigh unrecognisable to cooks a hundred years ago.
  - sehansen 2mo ago
    Fish and rice isn't synonymous with sushi. Grilled fish, tempura-fried fish and soups with pieces of fish are all popular in Japanese cuisine.
Animats 2mo ago
It's a staple of Yelp restaurants. Yelp considers "fish" and "salmon" to be synonyms. Try to search Yelp for a place that serves trout.
bogdan 2mo ago
I've been last year and none of the 4+ Tabelog-rated sushi places I've been to had it. It was quite common in grocery stores though; sashimi grade was cheap and plentiful.
ramchip 2mo ago
Salmon sushi is very popular, but it's not part of the traditional Edomae style (fish from the Tokyo bay), so the more upscale or traditional restaurants often don't serve it.
autumnstwilight 2mo ago
I've been here for 15+ years and I've never seen a sushi place without salmon. But I've never been to a "fancy" sushi place, just supermarkets, kaiten chains and neighborhood restaurants that are $20-40 a head. Salmon is not a "traditional" sushi ingredient because, until the introduction of flash-freezing, it couldn't be eaten raw due to the risk of parasites. That changed in the 80s or so, I think.

tecleandor 2mo ago

I'm trying to recall right now, and maybe the only places where I didn't find salmon in any of my visits was in the more expensive/ fine dinning places (think ¥8000+ places). All the common kaiten sushi places, or chains like SushiZanmai have all kinds of salmon pieces. Different levels of fat, broiled, rolls... Is it maybe a bit more like "comfort food", for kids, for less delicate palates, cheaper? Maybe. But truth is I haven't asked why I haven't seen it in the expensive places.

dfxm12 2mo ago

It's hard to say, depending on how far back your idea of "a few years ago" might be or where exactly you ate. After all, Japan has a lot of sushi restaurants and even different sushi styles. For example, you definitely wouldn't find salmon in an edomae sushi restaurant. For reference, salmon was the most popular choice in conveyor belt sushi places 3 years ago. https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h01627/ https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h01627/

tecleandor 2mo ago
Ah, interesting stats, specially the second part when they say what type of sushi they refrain from eating. I guess that ōtoro and chūtoro is due to price. And uni... Maybe because of the flavor? It can be a bit of an acquired taste...
- ramchip 2mo ago
  I think most people like uni, but it's also one of the most expensive sushi you can get at kaitenzushi

oblio 2mo ago

I remember asking a Japanese chef in Japan, in 2019, and the answer I got was that sushi is much less popular in Japan than believed outside of Japan, and a lot more people eat rice and chicken, pork, etc., than salmon.

expedition32 2mo ago
For thousands of years all Japanese people had was fish and rice. When countries become wealthy and open up to trade the population wants to eat exotic stuff. What Japan eats today would be nigh unrecognisable to cooks a hundred years ago.
- sehansen 2mo ago
  Fish and rice isn't synonymous with sushi. Grilled fish, tempura-fried fish and soups with pieces of fish are all popular in Japanese cuisine.

Animats 2mo ago

It's a staple of Yelp restaurants. Yelp considers "fish" and "salmon" to be synonyms. Try to search Yelp for a place that serves trout.

bogdan 2mo ago

I've been last year and none of the 4+ Tabelog-rated sushi places I've been to had it. It was quite common in grocery stores though; sashimi grade was cheap and plentiful.

ramchip 2mo ago

Salmon sushi is very popular, but it's not part of the traditional Edomae style (fish from the Tokyo bay), so the more upscale or traditional restaurants often don't serve it.

autumnstwilight 2mo ago

I've been here for 15+ years and I've never seen a sushi place without salmon. But I've never been to a "fancy" sushi place, just supermarkets, kaiten chains and neighborhood restaurants that are $20-40 a head. Salmon is not a "traditional" sushi ingredient because, until the introduction of flash-freezing, it couldn't be eaten raw due to the risk of parasites. That changed in the 80s or so, I think.